The Butterfly Conservatory has been around forever, but I finally got the chance to visit for the…read morefirst time this July. You enter through the gift shop into a small exhibit room. At first, it's a little underwhelming with some insects, lizards, and frogs in a small room. But once you step into the butterfly area, that's when the magic happens. And yes "magical" really is the word to describe this place. But do be prepared, it is hot and humid inside to recreate the butterflies' natural habitat. There are so many different types of butterflies, with so many colors and patterns. They do land on you and apparently they have preferences for certain colors, so try to wear those colors if you want them landing on you. When we went, it wasn't super crowded but also wasn't empty, so it still felt peaceful. This was such a special experience for my one year old son. I think this was a pivotal moment where he really opened up and started exploring on his own and it was amazing to watch. The water features, quails walking around, Akbar the bird, and the butterflies all came together to create such a unique environment. Relaxing, therapeutic, and again, just magical. There are no strollers allowed inside. Toddlers will need to be watched since they can easily get curious and try to touch flowers or interact with the habitat. Parking is available right in front. There used to be a cafe here but it's gone now. There is a great restaurant across the street with beautiful views. Is it overpriced? Probably. Would I come back by myself? Probably not. But experiences like this are hard to put a price on. There really isn't anything else like this that I've experienced, and watching my son experience it for the first time made it worth it. Overall, this is a 5/5 experience. It may not be something I do all the time, but I absolutely think everyone should visit at least once.

This place has been around since I was a child (30 now) and now I take my daughter. It's fun for…read moresure, but once you go, there's not really a reason to go back as you've seen it all. Pricing is okay, I personally think it's a little overpriced for it but they have to make money somehow. Seniors (65+) are $15, adults are $20, kids 3-17 are $10, kids under 3 are free. There are memberships/frequent flier passes available for purchase as well. Inside where the butterflies are, it is HOT. So head's up if you're bundled at all, especially come the winter months. The butterflies are absolutely beautiful, but I won't lie to y'all, it was kind of terrifying for me. Those butterflies will fly right at your face which personally, I do not find peaceful in the least. BUT, that's not saying it's not a fun experience because it absolutely is. I do love bringing my camera and taking photos of the butterflies and creatures. I wish they still had their little cafe. Every time I go it's closed/shut down. Would be nice to be able to enjoy some food and continue to support them after enjoying the butteflies!

This is a treasure, reminiscent of yesteryear tucked away in a wooded area. Clean pool, friendly…read moremembers, picnic tables with grills, swim noodles, lounge chairs and umbrellas, life guards. Get your name on the waiting list and enjoy.

From the owner: We are a private-membership, not-for-profit, outdoor pool and recreation facility that operates…read morefrom Memorial Day through Labor Day. Membership is NOT restricted to town residents, and we offer membership levels for singles, senior, couples and families. Visit our website to see what we have to offer.

My child took the swimming lessons a few time. She really enjoys it. The instructors are great and…read morecaring and really great with kids. Regarding the swimming facilities, they are generally great. Some downsides are: (1) middle school pool temperature is slightly lower than normal at least for the time we went (2) there is no private shower room at men's locker room. This is pretty awkward when my husband takes my daughter to swim lessons.

We love the small group sizes, it's less intimidating for our child and they get more one on one…read morewith the instructors. There are year round lessons so our child can keep practicing the skills they've acquired during the class and learn new ones. We've signed for more lessons and have recommended the class to friends and neighbors.

Man this place is iconic. It has been here forever so I decided to stop in for the first time since…read morethe 90's. Rented some banger skates and discovered it's like riding a bike, you never forget how. Made a few loops and they started playing some old 90's alternative rock on the sound system. Awesome. The only negative was I was hoping to play some Golden Axe on the vintage cabinet I remember they had. I was hoping they still had it but alas, it was gone. I heard an Italian Pizza Man absconded with it by winning craploads of prize tickets. I rate the experience at 9/10 Gaias Cradles

PLEASE READ REVIEWS! If your children do not know how to…read moreskate, this is not the place for them! Management referenced a 30-second interaction, during that time I was clearly managing an agitated baby and verbally stated multiple times that I had already being spoken to rudely. Not addressing the same rule more than ONCE mind you. That should have prompted staff to stop and assess the situation instead of continuing to escalate it. I refuse to not support my child ( 5, 4 and 20 month old) while they are skating for the first time, nor will I allow my children to sit and cry in public without support. When I picked up my 20 month old during an intense emotional episode, I was not skating. I had just exited the rink and was returning to the bench. I clearly stated this and indicated I had literally picked her up 6 seconds, barley getting her to my chest before he barreled around the corner to approached, make several abrupt remarks, and left without any attempt at respectful or professional/personable communication. This place has been garbage for over 7 years!!! I would not recommend this establishment in Hadley Massachusetts. We are a family of five (two adults, two children ages 2-5, and a 1.5-year-old). We rented two pairs of skates at a cost exceeding $70. During our visit, staff repeatedly confronted us in a manner that felt unnecessarily confrontational and lacked professionalism. I was first approached for holding my 1.5-year-old while skating, which I understand may be against policy; however, this was my first time skating with young children, and the interaction was handled poorly. On another occasion, my fiancé attempted to cross the center line briefly to assist me while I was managing both a toddler and a young child. There were no skaters nearby at the time, yet he was again confronted by the same employee. In the carpeted area, I picked up my crying child, and within seconds was approached and instructed to put her down because I was wearing skates. The delivery of these instructions was abrupt and lacked any empathy or discretion. Additionally, the skates provided for my child were visibly worn and in poor condition. The Velcro no longer functioned properly, a concern that was verbally acknowledged by a staff member while adjusting them. Despite advertising as a family-friendly venue, our experience did not reflect that claim. This facility may be more suitable for experienced skaters rather than families with young children. We were offered free lessons for the kids and still, we denied them for lack of empathy and confrontational approach. Owner tries to argue every negative review. Your place is old, your skates are unsafe and your staff is unbearably disrespectful to parents, and according to reviews, your summer camp kids hate it too. Response from the owner or manager Hello Kristie, thank you for taking time to write a review. Although a direct conversation, while you were in the facility, would be more productive and helpful, we always appreciate feedback. It is unfortunate that you found simple instruction, on serious safety concern, "abrupt." The risk of falling or dropping a child from four or five feet in the air, while you are on skates, is never taken lightly. The fact you had to be reminded multiple times demonstrates your lack of understanding. I encountered you only once directly, for all of 30 seconds, and you were flippant and arogant, arguing about holding your child while you were on skates. Safety should never be taken lightly. The rest of your commentary is inflamatory and unwaranted. And yes, $70 for five admissions and two rentals is accurate. I challenge you to find a better value for an afternoon with the family. Our offer of free skating lessons was genuine and an attempt to give your family a chance to further enjoy skating. I'm not sure what your reference is to summer camp; We have none. If you wish to have an honest conversation about your experience, and find a path where I am still willing to help your children with free skating lessons, please feel free to reach out. I look forward to helping you create fun memories with your family. Thank you again for taking time to comment. The owner continues bashing any negative review without taking any accountability for their lack of perfessionalism.

There wasn't an enormous amount to this green square other than a few picnic tables. Notably, the…read morearea was surrounded by parking meters, which I find dubious in a little town like this; it was too hard to park and I resent having to pay for it. The nearby college offered some more interesting aesthetic sights but the square was something to be passed through rather quickly given that no events were on.

The Amherst Town Common hosted a festival, featuring impressive ice statues and the opportunity to…read moremake your own s'mores. A hotel offered complimentary hot chocolate. It was a cool experience and I would consider come back for future events.

Our daughter has done this as a week-long day camp (at Bement Summer Camp) twice now. Each year was…read moresimilar but the daily activities changed. Regardless, she LOVES this program! Plenty to challenge older / more experienced kids, but also moving at a pace the younger crowd can keep up with. Last year, her favorites were kayaking and caving. This year, raft-building and caving. She starts each day excited for a new adventure, and comes home worn out and so full of stories. The guides have all been fantastic - knowledgeable about the trails, history, and environmental topics; good at setting expectations about the day's activities and rules; and great with kids of varying abilities. Caving may be the best thing about this program. Our family hikes & paddles regularly, but caving is best done with a guide who's done the cave before and can set expectations realistically. When our daughter comes back from the caving days, her clothes are wet and filthy, she tells stories about impossibly narrow and tight passages, and she grins the whole time. It's such a great experience and has really expanded her enjoyment of our outdoor adventures. My only request is that the guides would give parents a list of where they went, complete with recommended parking and recommended routes - so we can try these things too! Well, except the caving. I'd want a guide for that!

We brought my son's 6th Grade class here for an adventure and no one left disappointed. You could…read moresee quite a few of the class were tentative as they entered the cave but once they got inside all of there faces lit up as they began to explore. Our guides were Anna and Benjamin and both were great with the kids. They told us stories and taught us all some facts about how the caves were formed, what was down there, and how they would look in the future. We explored some of the larger areas of the cave and also some of the tighter passages. It was peaceful, challenging, meditative, and fun. It's also worth noting the care Anna and Benjamin took to make sure that everyone had a pleasurable and safe experience. They were supportive to push us to get a little outside of our comfort zones but were equally supportive and attentive if someone felt they had reached their limit. It's been two days and the class is still talking about the trip. I plan to get as many of the kids and parents together to do this again some time in the near future. I do not have enough words to express the gratitude I feel for this experience.

I started taking classes last winter at Show and was Instantly hooked! Their teachers are very…read morekind, dedicated, knowledgeable, and safe. The space itself is big, with several areas for different classes. All of the equipment is frequently inspected and maintained- when any tape gets worn on an apparatus they remove and repair it. The intro to aerials class gave me confidence on the trapeze, fabric, and Lyra. I've moved onto to level 2, and there are so many other advanced classes for me to chose from! Performances are always optional and there are classes for all ages.

If you see a one star or low review here around this time, let the buyer beware…read more Here are the things you should know from someone who has actually been to the studio: 1) SHOW is an amazing, respectful, and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds. They have extensive policy written up on inclusivity, diversity, and safety - all of which is available for anyone to read on their website at www.showcircusstudio.com. 2) Their teachers care about their students and are highly trained circus professionals. Many of them went through the professional track program at the New England Center for Circus Arts, are members of the professional circus organizations, and are active in furthering their circus education and training both on their own and through the studio. They go through monthly staff training as well as additional off-site trainings to constantly improve their skills and give a high quality, recreational circus education for students of all ages, body types, fitness levels, skill levels, races, economic backgrounds, etc. 3) Show is a recreational space. They don't expect you to do back flips when you walk in the door or even after your finish classes. You progress through a carefully planned out and studio standardized curriculum and are going at your own pace. This means you aren't forced through a leveling up system, but take a class until you're ready to move on to more advanced skills. In this way, your only competition is with yourself. 4) If other reviewers think the space is dirty and poorly organized, I recommend going in and checking out the space for yourself. Chris, the co-owner, does an amazing job of organizing the space along with Henry, the other co-owner. The lobby is GORGEOUS and the studio itself is perfect for recreational circus skills - vibrant colors, clean, and rigged to perfection for easy changes between classes. I'm very impressed. I highly recommend SHOW to anyone, especially to the LGBTQIA community - as SHOW and its staff are strong allies to the community. I wouldn't feel safe in a gym situation and I've never felt unsafe at SHOW. I cannot speak highly enough of them and my experiences with the studio.